By Malcolm Morrison, The Canadian Press
TORONTO – The Toronto stock market is higher, reflecting rising commodities along with strong economic data and record performance on U.S. markets.
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 35.14 points to 12,867.1. The Canadian dollar rose 0.12 of a cent to 97.07 cents US as Statistics Canada said the trade deficit with the world narrowed in January, falling to $237 million from $332 million in December.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrials aimed at a third consecutive day of setting record highs. The index rose 29.56 points to 14,325.8.
The Nasdaq composite index rose 3.54 points to 3,225.91 while the S&P 500 index gained 2.92 points to 1,544.38.
The April crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 66 cents to US$91.09 a barrel.
Traders also looked to Friday’s release of the U.S. non-farm payrolls report. Expectations for job creation were ratcheted up after the Labour Department said that the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell by 7,000 last week, driving the four-week average to the lowest point in five years.